“Must” Win

The expression “must win” always cracks me up. It’s so overly dramatic. I have a difficult time determining when exactly a win becomes a “must”. I mean, sure, game 7 of a playoff series is a must win, but other than that, I think it’s a tough call to make.

Even when a particular game is obviously super-duper, mega-important, I’m still uncomfortable with the expression “must win”. The phrase seems to imply an “or else”. It’s a must win….or else….what? We miss the playoffs? Kate cries? Buffalo is swallowed into a sink hole? Or else what?

In spite of myself, I started thinking in terms of “must wins” about ten games ago. Games would come along, and I’d think, “Dude, the Sabres MUST beat the Senators. This is a MUST WIN,” but then the Sabres would inevitably lose and the next morning I’d wake up to discover I had somehow survived the experience.

I’m shy about declaring a game a “must win,” because I want to preserve my right to be all gung-ho and hopeful about the Sabres tomorrow. If tonight is a “must win” and they lose, well, that’s the end, right? That’s lame. So, I’ll add a qualifier for tonight- This game against the Flyers is a “kind of must win”.

The Sabres kind of must win this game so that they kind of makes the playoffs, and Buffalo kind of doesn’t get swallowed by a sink hole, and I kind of don’t cry.

Ugh! The overuse of “Must Win” is the worst “boy who cried wolf” offense in sports. I actually emailed Jon Buccigross about this during the playoffs the year before the lockout, because he was hosting all the intermissions on the games on ESPN and spent every single one of them going on about how teams trailing 1-0 in their series were all facing “must wins”. He was very rude in his response, but I think I was doing him a favor trying to point out that if every game is a “must win”, then what’s the value of a game that actually is one? Sigh. I was so underappreciated by the hockey media back then. As opposed to now.

I wish Jon Buccigross could just admit he’s in love with you, Schnookie. It would be so much easier that way. Instead we just have to watch him argue with you all the time. It’s terribly sad when people can’t admit their true feelings. :D

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